Orlando Pirates coach Kjell Jonevret admits that he was surprised by the selection of the Carling Black Label Cup squad made by the Buccaneers fans for their tie against Kaizer Chiefs.

The Pirates line-up which was voted for by fans does not include a single new signing and mirrors the starting line-up which was often played by Jonevret in his first season with the club.

Jonevret admits that he was taken aback by the concept of the two-team annual tournament in addition to revealing that the line-up selected by the fans which not neccessarily his starting eleven for the 2017-18 campaign.

“I was [a] little bit surprised by the votes. I thought they would get in one or two players that don’t play so much or even youngsters,’ he said at a press conference.

“But then both teams will play with almost their normal lineups with maybe a change in formation and where players play.

“When I heard about this Black Label Cup concept my first reaction was like “whaaaaaat.” “Whats that now?

“But then I thought about it and realized that this Black Label Cup should be a fun thing. It’s like a party.

“Now I’m really looking forward to it cos it looks like fun and I’ve said before that football without supporters is pretty boring.

“I’m pretty sure when the league starts that this Black Label Eleven will not the be the line up that starts the new season,” he concluded.

Pirates will look to continue their dominance in the tournament, having clinched four CBL titles as opposed to Chiefs’ two, however Amakhosi are the reigning champions after defeating their arch-rivals 2-0 last year.

Photo: Muzi Ntombela/Backpagepix

– This story originally appeared on SportsClub.co.za